Society and Gay Rights

        Dr. Nan D. Hunter wrote a scholarly article titled “The Future Impact of Same-Sex Marriage: More Questions than Answers”. Hunter starts his article with a section called “From Here to There” in which he outlines the history of legal gay rights and eventually ends up in 2012 when the article was written. The second section “Change and Convergence” talks about the ratifications being made politically as society became more accepting of gays. In this section, Hunter makes the argument that same-sex marriage would present visible challenges to social norms associated with marriage. At this point in the article, he makes an interesting twist in the debate, bringing children into the equation. Hunter speaks on how the nurturing and future of a gay couple’s children is affected and how trends in different races having children correlates with how likely gay couples are of having children.
       Dr. Hunter explains how heterosexual marriage faces the visible challenge that homosexual marriage brings to society. Politically and socially, extreme forms of support and resistance have been taken. In some jurisdictions, the requirement for a child’s parents to be of different sexes has been eliminated. The acceptance of gay rights on the political field, as far as legislation, is a running theme in our generation's lifetime. Also in Hunter’s article, he acknowledges another amendment that moves towards the acceptance of gay rights in the United States. The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) “prohibits the federal government from “giving effect to” marriages between same-sex partners” (Hunter 2012). In terms of resistance, an opinion article by Frank Bruni illustrates a situation in which an intoxicated woman in New York City publicly scolded him and his husband. With legislation that promote tolerance of gay rights, our country is taking a turn towards growth and acceptance of the gay community.

Source: http://scholarship.law.georgetown.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2096&context=facpub